Garage-door holder



June 312, 1923.

et. F. GRANZOW, JR

GARAGE DOOR HOLDER Filed July 2, 1921 as ""IIII" Patented ,lune l2, i923.

CHARLES F. GB/ANZO'W, JR., OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

GARAGE-DOOR HOLDER.

Application iled. July 2,

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, CHARMES F. GRANZOW, J r., a citizen of the United yStates et' America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garage-Door Holders, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to door holders, and more particularly to devices for holding garage doors in a desired open position.

The invention consists in the structural .features and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view looking upwardly showing a garage door and its frame, said door being equipped with the improved holding means, the open position of the door and corresponding adjustment of the holding means being indicated in dash lines Fig. 2 isa fragmentary view in `side elevation of the door showing the adjustment of the holding device when the door is open;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectionon line 1 -4 of Fig. l; i

Fig. 5 is adetail view showing the pivotal mounting orn one end ot the holder rod.

In these views, the 'reference character A designates a door hinged in the usual'manner at A to one of the frame nprights B. To the top cross piece B ofthe frame there is pivotally secured one end C of a holder rod C extending horizontally toward the free edge of the door in substantial parallelism to the latter, and having its tree end upturned as indicated at C2. Preferably the pivotal mounting of said rod is established by forming an eye upon the end C of the rod, and engaging in said eye a headed bolt or screw D, taking into the cross piece B. The rod C engages a latch member E having the nature oi: a plate intermediately bent at substantially a ninety degree angle, and pivotally depending from a bolt F, passing through and rigidly connected to the door A, said latch member being mounted preferably at ardistance bothv 'from the free edge of the door and from the hinged edge 1921. Serial N0. 482,082.

thereof. Below its Aintermediate angle `Said plate E. is termed with an aperture Cr through which the rod "C is freely passed.

Considering the operation oi the device se 'far described: As the d oor A is swung open the latch plate E is caused to slide relative to the rod C toward the free end thereof, the relative positions of said rod and latch member when the door is Jfully open being` indicated in dash lines in Fig. l.v No latch eii'ect results from this relative movement accompanying opening of the door.l

llVhen, however, the door is subjected to pressure tending to close the same, it is required of the latch plate E toV slide relative to the rod C toward the inner or pivotal end thereof, such a relative movement tends to rock said latch member in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, thus tending to increase the inclination of the lower portion of the latch plate to the rod and causing the latch plate to bind upon the rod with a force increasing proportionately to the force tending to close the door. Consequently in any desired open position oi the door said latch member acts automatically to resist closing of the door until said member has been raised suiiicient to overcome the binding effect, as `for eX- ample, to the position shown in dash lines in Fig. 2. To permit such raising of the latch member an elongated wire handle H is swung from the lower end ot the plate E, the lower end oi" said handle `forming a ring which may be engaged with a nail or 'screw H .in the door fi. to maintain the latch member in its raised inoperative position it desired.

Adjacent the latch member E there is ivoted upon the door A., beneath the rod (RJ, a releasing member .l for said rod, the pivot of said releasing member being indicated at l. Adjacent to the member I, above the pivot l, a pin J is afiixed in the door A between the outer end of the rod C and said releasing member. When said releasing member is in the vertical position indicated in dash lines in Fig. 2, the rod C is held sutiiciently raised to throw the latch member E to its inoperative position also indicated in dash lines in Fig. 2. Then the releasing member I is tilted as indicated in full lines in Fig. 2, the free end. portion ofthe rod C is supported by the latch member E and the latter is effective to bind upon saidel rod to resist closing of the door. As the door is being opened, the sliding movement of the rod C relative to the releasing *member I is inward or toward the hinged edge of the door, and the eti'ect is to tilt the releasing member I to its position indicated in full raised position and correspondingly lifting the free' 'end of the rod C, gravity Will then swing the release member I yto its vertical position to maintain the raised position of the rod C, and the released position of the latch member E While the dooris being closed,` During closing of the door the sliding movement of the rod C relative to the y releasing member I is outward tending to maintain said releasing member pressed against the pin J in a vertical position. l Thus ,itA is seen that'the described latch member requires no adjustment Whatever to permit opening oi the door to any desired position, and tends to automatically engage the rod (l to maintain such position. To permit closing of the ,door there is required only an initial adjustment of the handle II. The

c released position of the latch member being then maintained as the door vis closed by the holding device I.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. I-n a device of the character described, the combination With a hinged door and its frame, of ay rod pivoted upon said :trame and extending substantially in a horizontal direction and substantially parallel to the door, and means for holding said door in any desired position of adjustment comprising a gravity actuated latch member pivoted upon the [door and having a portion apertiired for engagement by said rod and normallyinclined tosaid rod and said latch y member binding upon the rod to frictionally resist relative sliding of the rod and latch mmber in one direction. 2. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a'hi'nged door and its l tiired for engagement by said rod and normally inclined tosaid rod and said latch fmefmber' binding upon the rod to frictionally resist relative sliding of the -rod and latch member in One direction, and means for manually shitting said-latch member anguin larly out of binding engagement with the rod.

3. In a device of the character described,

the combination with .a hinged door and the trame thereof, of'a rod pivoted uponsaid 'frame and extending horizontally in sub'T stantial parallelism With the door, means forv holding said door in any desired position of adjustment comprising an intermediately bent gravity actuated latch member pivoted at its upper end upon the door above said rod and framey belovv the bend thereof ,with an aperture engaging said rod, said latch member binding upon the rod to frictionally resist yrelative slidingoif` the rod and latch memberfin one direction, vand means fior angularly shitting said latch non-binding position.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination With a hinged door and the member toa i trame thereof, of arod pivoted upon said i frame and projectingr toward the free edge of the door adjacent to the latter, means for holding said door in any desired position of adjustment comprising a gravity actuated latch member carried bythe door and fric-A tionally engageable With said rod, a pivotal member `mounted upon the doorbeneath said rod supporting the rod innon-latching pov sition, `and means for angularly adjustingl said pivotal member to release the rod. 5.y In a' device ofthe character described,

the combination with a hinged door and its frame, of a rod pivoted upon said frame and extending substantially in a horizontal `direction A and? substantiallyparallel to -the door, and al gravity actuated latch'member for holding said door in'any'desired position' of adjustment comprising an 'angle plate pivoted at one end upon the vdoorand having one of itsy inclined lsides apert-ured ber binding vupon the rod to VrictionallyV resist relative sliding of the rod and latch member in one direction.

` 'for engagement by said rod, said latch memother having portion normally inclined to said rod andapertured for engagement ytherewith, said latch membernormally frictionally resisting the movement of said rod inone direction, meansV for raising said nor,-

mally inclinedlatch member to' a Vnon-re.-

sisting position, and means engageablewith said yrod and automatically operated fory maintaining said latch member in non-resisting position.4 l

7. In a deviceo't the character described, I

thecombination'vvith a hinged doorand the frame thereof, of a rod vpivoted k'upon said frame andprojectingtowards thejfre'e edge sition, and means engageable with said rod for maintaining said latch member` in said nnlatched position when said latch adjust- 30 ing means is released.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES F. GRANZOW, JR. 

